Twistedclaw: A Deadly Leaf Bare
by The Living Scratching Post
Summary: Meet Twistedclaw, a ShadowClan warrior with a nose for trouble, and Whitefoot, the ThunderClan deputy with a tragic secret, as they strive to deal with a litter of motherless kits!
1. Clan Alliegiances

CLAN ALLEGIENCES

THUNDERCLAN

Leader: Rushstar: elderly creamy brown she-cat with blue eyes, dying of cancer, grandmother of Midgetpaw and Tinypaw, mother of Moleclaw

Deputy: Whitefoot: big black tom with white feet and green eyes, mate of Elmheart, brother of Poppytail, father of Thistlekit

Medicine Cat: Redcloud: rose tabby tom with green eyes

APPRENTICE: Onepaw

WARRIORS

Moleclaw: small grey tom with no tail and yellow eyes, son of Rushstar, father of Midgetpaw and Tinypaw, mate of Poppytail, dying of greencough

APPRENTICE: Midgetpaw

Poppytail: small light brown she-cat with green eyes, mate of Moleclaw, mother of Tinypaw and Midgetpaw, sister of Whitefoot

Webclaw: dark grey tom with yellow eyes, senior warrior

APPRENTICE: Tinypaw

Oakheart: dark brown tom with dark blue eyes, father of Owlpaw and Roankit, mate of Treeflower

APPRENTICE: Owlpaw

Thicktail: brown tom with a thick tail and amber eyes

APPRENTICES

Midgetpaw: tiny black she-cat with blue eyes, twin sister of Tinypaw, daughter of Moleclaw and Poppytail

Onepaw: blue-grey tom with yellow eyes

Tinypaw: tiny black tom with blue eyes, twin brother of Midgetpaw, son of Moleclaw and Poppytail

Owlpaw: dark grey tom with green eyes, son of Treeflower and Oakheart, brother of Roankit

QUEENS

Elmheart: lovely tortoiseshell she-cat with light blue eyes, mate of Whitefoot, mother of Thistlekit, daughter of Grasscloud (complications from kitting)

Treeflower: mottled brown she-cat with yellow eyes, mother of Owlpaw and Roankit, mate of Oakheart

KITS

Thistlekit: pale brown tom with green eyes, son of Elmheart and Whitefoot, brother of Rowankit, Morningkit, and Hawkkit

Morningkit: tortoiseshell she-cat with piercing blue eyes, daughter of Talonclaw and Elmheart, sister of Rowankit, Thistlekit, and Hawkkit

Roankit: brown she-cat with yellow eyes, daughter of Treeflower and Oakheart, sister of Owlpaw (greencough)

Rowankit: ginger she-cat with piercing blue eyes, daughter of Elmheart and Talonclaw, sister of Thistlekit, Hawkkit, and Morningkit

Hawkkit: dark brown tabby tom with a white underbelly and piercing blue eyes, son of Elmheart and Talonclaw, brother of Thistlekit, Rowankit, and Morningkit

ELDERS

Grasscloud: elderly tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes, mother of Elmheart (blackcough)

Crankyclaw: elderly tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

SHADOWCLAN

Leader: Sprucestar: white tom with green eyes, 7 lives left, mate of Wetnose, father of Dewseed and Snowflower, grandfather of Brownpaw and Whitepaw, brother of Snowfur

Deputy: Hollytail: calico she-cat with orange eyes

Medicine Cat: Snowfur: white she-cat with green eyes, sister of Sprucestar

WARRIORS

Twistedclaw: calico tom with blue eyes, son of Jaggedtail

APPRENTICE: Whitepaw

Oddeye: white she-cat with one blue eye and one green eye

APPRENTICE: Brownpaw

Snowflower: white she-cat with pale blue eyes, daughter of Sprucestar and Wetnose, sister of Dewseed

Scarface: dark grey tom with orange eyes, father of Yellowpaw

APPRENTICE: Yellowpaw

Shadetail: black tom with yellow eyes

APPRENTICE: Galepaw

Darkclaw: huge white she-cat with enormous black paws and green eyes

APPRENTICE: Dirgepaw

Sootnose: black tom with amber eyes, mate of Dewseed, father of Whitepaw and Brownpaw

Dewseed: tabby she-cat with green eyes, mother of Whitepaw and Brownpaw, sister of Snowflower, mate of Sootnose, daughter of Sprucestar and Wetnose

APPRENTICES

Galepaw: dark grey tom with amber eyes

Yellowpaw: dark grey she-cat with orange eyes, daughter of Scarface

Dirgepaw: black she-cat with dark blue almost black eyes

Whitepaw: brown she-cat with orange eyes, sister of Brownpaw, daughter of Dewseed and Sootnose

Brownpaw: white tom with green eyes, son of Dewseed and Sootnose, brother of Whitepaw

QUEENS

Sleetheart: light grey she-cat with yellow eyes, pregnant

KITS

ELDERS

Jaggedtail: old tortoiseshell tom with blue eyes and a kink in his tail, father of Twistedclaw

Talonclaw: black-and-white tom with long claws and piercing light blue eyes, father of Morningkit, Rowankit, and Hawkkit, mate of Elmheart

WINDCLAN

Leader: Palestar: cream-furred she-cat with blue eyes, daughter of Mangefur and Ashclaw, 4 lives left, sister of Wolfclaw

Deputy: Runninggrass: swift ginger-and-white tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Feathertail: pale grey tabby she-cat with a feathery tail and yellow eyes

WARRIORS

Mangefur: old brown tabby tom with amber eyes, father of Palestar, mate of Ashclaw, senior warrior

Bigheart: big black tom with golden eyes, mate of Rosefur

APPRENTICE: Whitepaw

Pantherpelt: black tom with golden eyes, senior warrior

Fireclaw: ginger she-cat with a flame-coloured pelt and green eyes

APPRENTICE: Wetpaw

APPRENTICES

Whitepaw: white she-cat with green eyes

Wetpaw: grey-and-white tom with brown eyes

QUEENS

Lilacfur: lilac tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Rosefur: rose tabby she-cat with amber eyes, mate of Bigheart

KITS

Stormkit: small dark grey she-cat with green eyes and a white lightning bolt-shaped mark on left foreleg, sister of Stagkit, Blackkit, and Tawnykit

Stagkit: brown tabby tom with yellow eyes, brother of Stormkit, Blackkit, and Tawnykit

Blackkit: black tom with green eyes, brother of Stormkit, Stagkit, and Tawnykit

Tawnykit: cream-furred tom with yellow-green eyes, brother of Stormkit, Stagkit, and Blackkit

ELDERS

Frostfur: young white tom with blue eyes, deaf

Ashclaw: grey she-cat with amber eyes, mother of Wolfclaw and Palestar, mate of Mangefur

RIVERCLAN

Leader: Cloudstar: white tom with green eyes, 5 lives left

Deputy: Lionthroat; brown mackerel tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Darkfur: black she-cat with orange eyes

WARRIORS

Blacktail: black tom with green eyes, senior warrior

APPRENTICE: Vixenpaw

Berryclaw: brown and white tom with blue eyes

Hotface: handsome mottled brown tabby tom with pale eyes

APPRENTICE: Nimblepaw

Lockjaw: big brown she-cat with orange eyes, senior warrior

APPRENTICES

Vixenpaw: white she-cat with big ears and amber eyes

Nimblepaw: nimble tawny tom with big blue eyes

QUEENS

Whitepelt: white she-cat with green eyes

Birchheart: light brown tabby she-cat

KITS

Dappledkit: blue-cream and white she-cat with amber eyes

ELDERS

Jayflower: blue silver tabby she-cat with amber eyes and poofy tail

CATS OUTSIDE OF CLANS

Wolfclaw: big dark grey tom with green eyes, former WindClan warrior, rogue, brother of Palestar, son of Mangefur and Ashclaw

Sugar: white Oriental she-cat with dark blue eyes, kittypet

Sunflower: pale ginger she-cat with amber eyes, former WindClan warrior, rogue


	2. Prologue

PROLOGUE

The big black tom stared up at the night sky. StarClan seemed so far away, if it even existed. He was beginning to doubt the existance of StarClan. It had been so long since he had seen proof of StarClan.

His pale green eyes were the same colour as the eyes of his illustrious ancestor, Sandstorm. His black pelt was the colour of midnight. His paws were the colour of fresh snow.

The tom shook his head furiously, and took a step forward, the snow crunching under his paws. A lovely tortoiseshell she-cat poked her head out of a crack in the stone wall behind the tom.

"Whitefoot? Whitefoot, is that you?" she called in a lowered voice.

Whitefoot turned. "Elmheart, my love! Shouldn't you be resting?" He plowed through the snow to the she-cat and rubbed his head against her cheek.

Elmheart purred. "I'm fine, you fretful old badger! Don't worry. I've been resting all day. Our kits will be fine."

Whitefoot licked her ear. "It's just…well, there's been all these recent setbacks. Half of the kits born in greenleaf have died of greencough, and a third of the rest have whitecough. Rushstar is very sick, two quarters of the warriors are sick, and all of the apprentices have colds."

Elmheart gave her mate a sympathetic glance. "I know, I know. You've got a lot on your mind right now. And you're right, this is the worst leaf-bare in seasons."

Whitefoot peered at her closely. "What's happened? Something's happened."

Elmheart rested her head on Whitefoot's chest. "Grasscloud just died."


	3. Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

"Oi! Shove over, will ya?" squeaked Brownkit, a white tom kit, at his sister Whitekit, a brown she-kit.

Whitekit stuck her tongue out at her brother and punched him in the face. "Nyah!"

Their mother, Dewseed, a tabby she-cat, swatted her daughter's rump with her paw. "Enough of that! Leave your brother alone!"

A calico trotted into the camp clearing with a dead bird dangling from her jaws. "Who's that, Mama? Is that a he or a she?" Whitekit asked.

Dewseed glanced up. "Oh, that's Hollytail, the Clan deputy. Calicos are always she-cats," she replied.

Another calico struggled into the camp fighting with a frantically fluttering finch. Brownkit scampered up to the newcomer, and before Dewseed could stop him, he asked, "How many kits have you had?"

The calico released the finch, and it tried to fly away. The calico tried to catch it, but Hollytail got it first. The second calico turned gaped at Brownkit. "What?"

"I said, 'How many kits have you had?'" Brownkit replied.

"Uh, none?" the calico replied questioningly.

"Why?" Whitekit asked.

"I can't have kits," the calico replied.

"Oh." Whitekit was silent for a few seconds. "Why?"

"Because I'm a tom."

The kits glared at their mother. "You said calicos were always she-cats!" they mewed accusingly.

Dewseed bit her lip. "Well, um, that's Twistedclaw for you."

* * *

A small apprentice crashed into Whitefoot as the big tom was grabbing a vole from the fresh-kill pile.

"Whitefoot! Whitefoot!" he squeaked. The big tom glanced down at him with a quizzical expression on his face. "Elmheart's having her kits!"

Whitefoot shoved the apprentice aside and dashed to the nursery, where a tortoiseshell queen was shrieking in agony and squirming in great discomfort...


	4. Chapter Two

Read and Review! Please tell me what you think!

* * *

CHAPTER TWO

Redcloud, the ThunderClan medicine cat, was crouching beside Elmheart. Three kits were already snuggled up to her belly, and she was in the process of giving birth to the fourth.

But something was wrong. There was so much blood. And the way she was screaming…Whitefoot shuddered. He mustn't think about that.

The black tom ran to his beloved mate's side. Elmheart raised her head weakly. "Oh, Whitefoot. These kits…my kits, they will be great warriors. StarClan has told me this, so it must be so," she murmured.

"Hush, dear. Save your strength." Whitefoot licked her ear. Elmheart's head dropped back down and let out another shriek.

"Push, Elmheart, push!" Redcloud ordered.

The tortoiseshell she-cat pushed, pushed with all her might, and finally the fourth kit emerged.

"It's not breathing! It's not breathing!" Redcloud yowled at Whitefoot.

The big black tom was staring at his mate. "What do you mean "my kits"? They are our kits, aren't they?" he murmured, so that Redcloud couldn't hear him.

Elmheart gazed up at him, her big blue eyes full of love and absolute adoration. "Oh, Whitefoot. I do love you, but I…I love another as well. He…Talonclaw is the father," she gasped.

Whitefoot lowered his head and nuzzled his mate's cheek. "What will you name them?"

Elmheart twisted her head to look at her kits. "The tortoiseshell shall be Morningkit. The ginger shall be Rowankit. The tabby shall be Hawkkit. And the…the brown…the brown one shall be…Thistlekit. Oh, StarClan, let him live. Give Thistlekit's lungs the breath of life."

As Elmheart concluded her whispered prayer, the previously unbreathing fourth kit opened his mouth and inhaled deeply.

"He's breathing! Oh, StarClan he's alive!" Redcloud cried ecstaticly.

Whitefoot let out a howl of grief, and flung himself at Elmheart's prone form.

For as the breath of life entered Thistlekit's lungs, it left Elmheart's.


	5. Chapter Three

Sorry it took me so long. Hope this chapter satisfies you. Little bit of angst on Whitefoot's part.

* * *

Chapter Three

Twistedclaw swatted distractedly at Whitekit. "Bug off, willya?" he growled.

The little she-cat only grinned evilly at him and bit down on Twistedclaw's pride and joy, his black and ginger striped tail. Hard.

"YE-OW-OW-OW!" Twistedclaw shrieked and leapt into the air.

Whitekit giggled. "You are so funny. Do that again. Brownkit didn't see." She turned and winked at her brother, who _had_ seen Twistedclaw's spectacular leap, but he kept quiet about it because he too thought it had been hilarious and wanted to see it again.

"Oh, how sweet. Twistedclaw has had kits!" a mocking voice sneered.

Twistedclaw stiffened. He turned around to face a white she-cat with odd eyes. He composed himself quickly and mewed cheerfully, "Well, hello, Oddeye!"

Oddeye hissed at the calico tom. "Well, look who's being condescending."

Twistedclaw gaped at her. "I'm trying to be condescending! I was just trying to be polite!"

Oddeye snorted. "Yeah, right."

"He's not lying." A beautiful white she-cat with lovely pale blue eyes stepped delicately into the nursery.

"Snowflower!" Twistedclaw mewed happily and dashed over to her. A smile appeared on Snowflower's pretty face.

"Hello, Twistedclaw," she mewed in her voice that Twistedclaw thought sounded like the tinkling of the stream between ThunderClan and ShadowClan territory. Snowflower turned to Oddeye. "He's not lying," she repeated. "He was just trying to be friendly."

Oddeye snorted. "Of course, _you'd _side with him." Then she turned and stomped out of the nursery.

Brownkit looked up at Twistedclaw and Snowflower. "What was that all about?"

Twistedclaw glanced at the little white tom. "Well, you see, I like Oddeye. I think she's pretty, but she hates me."

Brownkit nodded. "Oh, so it's sort of like Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw and Firestar and Sandstorm?"

Twistedclaw grinned. "Yeah, sort of."

Whitekit decided she had to add her two mousetails' worth. "I think you and Snowflower should be mates. The two of you remind me of Greystripe and Silverstream."

"Yeah, gee, thanks, Whitekit. Then I'll_ die_ when I'm giving birth to his kits," Snowflower replied sarcastically. Twistedclaw, Whitekit, and Brownkit laughed. Snowflower glanced at them, then started to laugh along with them.

When they had recovered, Twistedclaw mewed, "Well, Snowflower and I have to go now. The fresh-kill pile needs replenishing."

* * *

"Whitefoot?"

The black tom turned, startled out of his misery. A skinny old brown she-cat lay soaking up the last bit of winter sunshine on Highledge.

The old cat was the archcat of ugliness. Her pelt, once sleek and full, was now dull, thin, and patchy. Several very large tumors protruded from her belly.

"Yes, Rushstar?" Whitefoot asked her.

Rushstar heaved herself to her feet and scrambled down unsteadily from Highledge. "Bother Firestar! Why'd he have to choose a den so far up?" she grumbled good-naturedly when she reached the ground. She glanced at Whitefoot. "Redcloud suggested I use a den on the ground, but I couldn't find any that I liked as much as the one behind Highledge."

Whitefoot smiled. The tumors might have taken Rushstar's beauty away, but they hadn't taken away her spirit.

"I heard about Elmheart." Whitefoot's smile faded. "Pity she died so young, but she was a dainty little thing. I would have preferred that she stayed in the warriors' den, and not have kits, seein' as many of the she-cats in her family have died kitting: her sisters, her grandmother, her aunts, and her nieces."

Whitefoot's head drooped. "I know, I know. But I loved her."

Rushstar rasped her tongue comfortingly over her deputy's ear, as if he were one of her own kits, which he might as well be, since his sister was her son's mate. "Love is a beautiful thing, Whitefoot. Burnttail and I loved each other dearly, even though we were only able to have one kit 'fore he died of greencough moon 'fore last. Moleclaw and Poppytail are very close to each other. And let me tell you, don't you ever blame yourself for Elmheart's death."

_I won't. I never shall. It's Talonclaw's fault, isn't it?_ Whitefoot thought as he watched his leader struggle back up to her den.


	6. Chapter Four

Ooh, now there's a lovely little love triangle! Shadetail Snowflower Twistedclaw

Now what is Rushstar's secret? Did StarClan tell her something? Is she planning to kill herself? Is she coming down with greencough? Is she planning to burn down the forest?

Remember, read and review or the gremlins will get you!

* * *

Chapter Five

Twistedclaw decided he wanted to go hunting. He turned to ask Snowflower if she wanted to go hunting with him, but before he could ask her, a black tom beat him to it.

"Hey, Snowflower, Hollytail told me to lead a hunting patrol. Wanna come with?"

Snowflower batted her eyelids at him. "I'd be delighted to, Shadetail." She turned to Twistedclaw. "All right with you, Twistedclaw?"

The calico tom nodded, not trusting his mouth. He watched unhappily as Snowflower and Shadetail walked side by side to the camp entrance, where a small dark grey tom, Shadetail's apprentice, waited for them impatiently. The instant the two warriors reached him, he bounded out of sight, followed more slowly by Shadetail and Snowflower.

"She's a pretty little she-cat."

Twistedclaw turned and saw an old tortoiseshell tom with a kinked tail watching him from the entrance of the elders' den. He trotted over to the old tom, greeting him with a mew. "Hello, father."

Jaggedtail motioned for his son to come further into the elders' den. Twistedclaw followed him into the hollow underneath the boulder in which the ShadowClan elders slept and took their fresh-kill and told kits and apprentices stories of heroic figures like Thunderstar, Mothflight, Yellowfang, and Firestar.

Jaggedtail plopped down into his nest of soft rabbit down and moss. "That little white she-cat you're padding after, she's Wetnose's kit, ain't she?"

Twistedclaw nodded, thinking of Snowflower's mother, Wetnose. Wetnose had been very popular, especially among the toms. Even Jaggedtail, who already had a mate, had admitted to trying to win the affections of the pretty little silver tabby. Everyone was surprised when Wetnose fixated her affections on Sprucebush, who was then deputy of ShadowClan. She gave birth to his kits, two pretty little she-cats. The two kits became apprentices, and their father became leader of ShadowClan and Wetnose his deputy. And then, barely a moon after Wetnose became deputy, there was a border skirmish with RiverClan. Several warriors on both sides died. One of them was Wetnose. Every cat grieved her loss.

Jaggedtail's voice brought Twistedclaw back to the present. "Aye, I can tell, though she looks more like 'er old dad. She's 'as 'er mother's eyes. StarClan, those were beautiful eyes. An' she acts like 'er dear ol' mum, too. Sweet, but deadly sharp with 'er tongue."

"I suppose Shadetail's lucky to have her," Twistedclaw sighed mournfully.

"Eh? Shadetail? Warn't you an' 'im 'prentices together??" Jaggedtail rasped. Before his son could respond, he answered his own question. "Aw, that's right. I amember 'im. 'e used to 'ang out with Oddeye, didn't 'e? Those two made a wunnerful couple. An' I amember tellin' Wetnose that you an' Snowflower made a great couple, an' that Dewseed an' Sootnose made a good couple, an' look at where those two ended up: happy and with two lurvvly kits."

"Point taken, father. You want me to take Snowflower as my mate."

Jaggedtail smiled. "'at's it, 'zakkly! Now, run along, m'boy!"

Twistedclaw turned and left the elders' den, practically walking right into Sprucestar.

"Oh, there you are. I've been looking everywhere for you, Twistedclaw. Dewseed told me her kits were ready to be apprentices. Would you like to mentor one?"

Twistedclaw couldn't believe he was asking that question. Of course he would like to mentor one of Dewseed's kits!

"Whitefoot, who's going to the Gathering tonight?"

The big black tom turned and saw his sister Poppytail. "I don't know. Rushstar hasn't told me yet."

"Oh, okay," she mewed and stalked off to Redcloud's den where her mate Moleclaw was languishing, deathly ill with greencough.

Whitefoot clambered up to Highledge, where Rushstar was sunning herself. "Hello, Whitefoot. What's up?" she greeted her deputy.

"Who's going to the Gathering tonight?" Whitefoot asked her.

Rushstar cocked her head thoughtfully. "Hmm...How about Poppytail, Redcloud, Treeflower, Owlpaw, Midgetpaw, Tinypaw, Crankyclaw, and Thicktail?"

"Redcloud's busy caring for the sick cats and Onepaw isn't experienced enough to care for all of them on his own. Treeflower refuses to leave Roankit's side, Poppytail doesn't want to be away from Moleclaw that long, and Midgetpaw is coming down with whitecough."

Rushstar sighed wearily. "But we don't want to let the other Clans think we're weak." She paused, thinking quickly. "Ooh, how about Onepaw, Tinypaw, Owlpaw, Thicktail, Crankyclaw, and Webclaw?"

Whitefoot nodded. "Hmm. That's a lot better."

Rushstar shook her head. "We need to bring more than two warriors, but we can't leave the camp undefended!"

Whitefoot nodded in agreement. "I know. I can't wait for leaf-bare to end."

Rushstar gazed unseeingly past him. "But I can. I can," she murmured sadly, almost guiltily.

Whitefoot peered curiously at her. "Why?" he asked.

But she wouldn't tell him. She couldn't. It wasn't time yet.


End file.
